The Fortunate Lady and Her Mountain Man

Chapter 224: Chapter 224: Night Watch

A successful surgery was really only the first hurdle.

After that, they still had to face challenges like high fevers, convulsions, and wound infections.

And the first night after the operation was the most critical.

If Xin Ziqi left, then she would be on watch alone tonight.

’Never mind the unpleasant memories this earthen hut has given me before, just sharing a room with the vagrant... that’s not appropriate either.’

Ping’an had no choice but to obey the decision Xin Ziqi made.

Ji Huan glanced outside. The sky was indeed growing dark.

"Then I’ll have to trouble you here for a bit. I’m going to the Hu Family’s place first."

Xin Ziqi didn’t say a word, already engrossed in his research on plaster casts.

Dabao was sitting upright at the entrance of the main hall, using the last sliver of daylight to practice his writing.

But he was clearly distracted. Every couple of strokes, he would glance toward the courtyard gate.

When he saw Ji Huan enter the courtyard, his eyes lit up, but he restrained himself and didn’t move.

Ji Huan walked over and ruffled his hair. "You’ve been a good boy today. Come on, say goodbye to Aunt Xie, and we’ll go home."

Widow Xie came out of the kitchen with a spatula in hand. "Stay and eat here before you go back."

Hu Ximei followed her out and said, "That’s right, Sister Wan. The food is ready. Just eat at our place."

Ever since the engagement incident, Hu Ximei had been depressed. Especially after learning the truth, she rarely smiled at home and refused to even say a word to Hu Liang.

Whenever she ran away from home, she would run to Ji Huan’s place, and she didn’t hide anything from her.

Seeing her forced smile, Ji Huan felt a pang in her heart and nodded.

Hu Ximei finally cheered up a little and went inside to set the table.

Ji Huan lowered her voice and asked Widow Xie, "Aunt Xie, was it... that person from the Cao Family who tried to commit suicide? How is she?"

"Yes, it was." Widow Xie’s expression was even worse than a few days ago. "Liangzi was called over and still hasn’t come back. Who knows what the situation is. I sent Dacheng to check, and there’s been no sign of him either."

Ji Huan thought for a moment. "It’s probably nothing serious. If something really bad had happened, wouldn’t the Cao Family have come here to cause a scene? Why would they still call Brother Liangzi over?"

"I hope the Bodhisattva protects us." Widow Xie pressed her palms together in a prayer and then sighed deeply.

"Tell me, what was that girl from the Cao Family thinking? Did someone force her to do such a thing? Things had already reached this point; what else could we do but break off the engagement? Who knew she’d take it so hard... Now look, we’re the ones in the wrong. How are we supposed to call off the wedding now..."

Widow Xie’s tone was filled with annoyance, resentment, and self-blame.

If their family hadn’t gone to break off the engagement, Cao Yunyun wouldn’t have tried to hang herself.

But if they didn’t break it off, how could they face Hu Ximei?

The more she thought about it, the more difficult the situation seemed...

If she felt this way, one could only imagine how Hu Liang felt.

Hu Ximei came out of the main hall and called, "Sister Wan, you and Dabao should hurry and wash up for dinner."

Ji Huan tactfully stopped the conversation.

When Widow Xie heard that Doctor Xin hadn’t left, she wanted to invite him over and add a couple more dishes, but Ji Huan stopped her.

She had a pretty good understanding of Xin Ziqi’s character.

"Aunt Xie, don’t go call for him. He won’t come. Don’t go to the trouble; a simple home-cooked meal like this is just fine. Just like at noon, set a portion aside, and I’ll take it to him after I finish eating."

Widow Xie knew Ji Huan wasn’t one for false pleasantries, nor would she be polite on someone else’s behalf, so she did as she was told.

Halfway through the meal, Hu Dacheng ran back, his head covered in sweat.

Widow Xie shot to her feet, forgetting that Hu Ximei was still there, and asked anxiously, "How is it? Is she okay?"

Hu Dacheng walked to the dinner table, picked up a bowl of cold congee, and downed half of it in one go.

"Oh, for heaven’s sake, you little ancestor, just spit it out!" Widow Xie was burning with anxiety, desperate for news. She couldn’t stand him eating and drinking his fill before speaking.

Hu Dacheng waved his hand weakly. "She didn’t die."

His words were like a calming pill. Widow Xie immediately murmured a prayer to Buddha.

"Then what about your brother? Why isn’t he back yet?"

After thanking the passing gods and buddhas in all directions, Widow Xie finally remembered Hu Liang.

"She’s not dead, but she’s still unconscious. They called a doctor and forced some medicine down her. She woke up for a bit in the middle of it and just cried while holding my brother’s hand. Then she cried so much she passed out again. She’s clutching my brother’s hand, so he can’t get away. He told me to come back and report."

Widow Xie opened her mouth but, in the end, said nothing.

Hu Ximei kept her head down, shoveling rice from her bowl, also saying nothing.

Only Ji Huan was thinking unsympathetically— ’She passed out but can still grip someone’s hand? That’s some skilled fainting.’

Her earlier suspicion was also confirmed.

Cao Yunyun had tried to kill herself, and Hu Liang already felt guilty. Now, with the tears and clinginess of the girl he loved, how could he not feel heartbroken and soften his stance?

Whether this engagement could still be broken off was now truly hard to say.

However, this was the Hu Family’s internal affair. Everything would have to wait until Hu Liang returned.

The people at the table ate in sullen silence.

Ji Huan ate quickly. After a few mouthfuls, she grabbed the food basket, took Dabao by the hand, called out a goodbye, and left the Hu family’s home.

She first went back to her own home and let Dabao play with Jia, Yi, Bing, and Ding for a while. She then grabbed two cotton quilts, turned back to lock the courtyard gate, and took them along with the food basket to the earthen hut.

Xin Ziqi and Ping’an were eating in the kitchen. Ji Huan wanted to feed the vagrant something as well, but when she entered the main hall, she found he was asleep.

’So... he finally couldn’t hold on any longer?’

Ji Huan shook her head, picked up the quilt he had used before to cover him, and took the opportunity to remake the kang bed.

This kang was relatively small. Ji Huan added another bedroll next to the vagrant’s original one.

The vagrant would sleep on the wooden plank bed tonight, which would leave room for two more people on the kang.

When Ping’an heard her plan, he shook his head like a drum rattle. He absolutely refused to share a bed with his young master and insisted on sleeping on the floor.

"I’m just a servant, how could I lie on the same kang as the young master? No, absolutely not..."

Ji Huan couldn’t persuade him, and she couldn’t very well let him sleep on the floor, so she told him to go to the Hu Family’s home and share with Hu Dacheng for the night.

Xin Ziqi agreed.

Although Ping’an was worried, he still left with the empty basket, looking back every few steps.

"Will you be alright by yourself tonight?"

Ji Huan asked Xin Ziqi after Ping’an left.

"Don’t worry."

In truth, Xin Ziqi had many more questions he wanted to ask Ji Huan, but the time and place were not right. Besides, he was well aware that her young brother was waiting for her at home.

Ji Huan accepted his kind intentions, checked on the vagrant’s condition again, and then went home.

Dabao hadn’t eaten much at the Hu Family’s home, so Ji Huan steamed a bowl of egg custard for him to fill his stomach.

After the brother and sister washed up, they lay down on their kang.

Ji Huan told him what she had been busy with all day and then told him stories for nearly a full hour before she finally coaxed him to sleep.

After confirming Dabao was fast asleep, Ji Huan quietly got off the kang, put on her dress, and tiptoed out the door.

Xin Ziqi didn’t seem surprised that she had returned.

’How could I possibly sleep without seeing for myself that the patient I helped save is out of danger?’

The main hall door was open. Ji Huan blew out the lamp in her hand and didn’t go inside. The two of them just sat at the doorway, chatting idly in the moonlight.

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